Dublin Marathon 2011 'improvers' thread

RayCun

This thread might die for lack of interest, but there are bound to be a bunch of people running their second or later marathons in Dublin this year, looking for times between 3 and 4 hours, and wanting to discuss training, race strategies, whatever. It could be intimidating for the novices if that kind of discussion appears in 'their' thread, so maybe here instead?

nerraw1111 wrote: »

What training plans are people following NOW rather than what they will be doing in a couple of months?
I was following Ryan Hall's half marathon plan as I found it gave a good mixture of decent long (ish) runs as well as intervals and speed work.
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-244-258-12006-0,00.html
I do a lot of multi sport races which will be my main focus for the summer so hoping to combine a marathon training schedule with cycling.

I'm (more or less) following a 10k plan at the moment, trying to get a bit faster before starting the P&D <55 mpw plan in June.

RubyK

I'm not following any plan at the moment as such. I'm getting out 4-5 times a week, which includes 1 track session and 1 LSR at the weekends.

I can't believe how fast the months are going by - it won't be long until marathon training starts!

Corkie100

I am delighted to see this thread, had debated posting on novice thread, but felt it was maybe a question beyond novice running (although I don't consider myself to be in any way fast, accomplished or experienced, just a great big plodder).
I am currently training for the Cork marathon and will also hopefully do Dublin this year. My previous marathon times are 4.13, 3.53 and 3.39. My first one was done on the back of minimal training whereas my 2nd and third were done following Hal Higdon programmes fairly closely.
I'd love to have a crack at breaking 3.30, so My question is this:
Why am I finding my PMP runs so difficult? I do my LSRs at about 9 min pace and have v few problems, and i do mile repeats at the track once a week at 6.50 pace and again i don't find them a big problem (wrecked afterwards always, but not unduly so). But when I try to do the PMP runs at 8 min pace, i feel tired, sluggish, like i can't continue. Is this psychological?? Or would everyone find these hard, given that they combine a bit of speed and a bit of endurance, whereas the other two runs have only one or the other? I generally run 5 times a week, I don't feel I can train more and i rarely feel over-trained.
Or is it that 8 min pace is just too ambitious at this stage? Should I shelve my hopes for sub 3.30 for a while?? When I ran 3.39 in Dublin last year, the whole thing went perfectly, ran a slightly negative split and felt my training had been bang on (original aim was 3.45).
Any thoughts welcome!

Woddle

I think these threads are very well timed. By my reckoning there's 27 weeks till DM so the next 7-9 weeks should be about building a base so that you can launch straight into a P&D or JD.
I'll be using this thread myself for a bit of support and hopefully we can get a good gang together and start meeting for lsrs and tempo runs of the sort.

Woddle

Corkie100 wrote: »

Or is it that 8 min pace is just too ambitious at this stage?

I think you just answered your own question. I'm not sure where I read it but apparently you should be running what your current marathon pace is and not what your hoping to achieve (I'm sure there are others who might disagree). With 27 weeks to go you have plenty of time to get sub 3'30.
I have a similar PB to yourself 3'37 and I'll also be hoping for sub 3'30 so welcome aboard.

gerard65

Woddle wrote: »

I think you just answered your own question. I'm not sure where I read it but apparently you should be running what your current marathon pace is and not what your hoping to achieve (I'm sure there are others who might disagree). With 27 weeks to go you have plenty of time to get sub 3'30.
I have a similar PB to yourself 3'37 and I'll also be hoping for sub 3'30 so welcome aboard.

+1. Let your training over the next couple of months bring you to 8min/ml. ATM try 8:30 and see what happens. You can slowly bring the down as you get fitter.

RayCun

I think Corkie is planning to race... Cork so isn't so far away from his goal race.
What does your normal training week look like? Are you following a particular plan? What are your race times for other distances?

ecoli

There are two schools of though on this. One is by going for the PMP you are training your body to run at that pace so that come race day you are used to it.
Second is running at Current Marathon pace (relative to fitness not you most recent marathon time unless it is in the last month or two max). The idea here is that by running at this pace you are training your body at pace which you get optimum benefit running too fast means you are changing the dynamics of training session
Personally I am of the second school of though as to me it makes more sense for the same reasons you dont run intervals too fast

Corkie100

RayCun wrote: »

I think Corkie is planning to race... Cork so isn't so far away from his goal race.
What does your normal training week look like? Are you following a particular plan? What are your race times for other distances?

Actually her goal race, I'm female!
Well, I'm inclined to agree with earlier post and my original thoughts were to go for 3.30 in Dublin and just take it handy in Cork. My 3.39 was in Dublin last october, but i would if anything feel fitter now. My Training week usually has one interval session (4 x mile repeats at 6.50 pace), one lsr (now up to 20 miles at 9 min pace), one PMP run (as complained about earlier) and usually 2 other recovery runs of varying distances and speed (depending on who's around to drag along with me!). I must admit i probably over-race if anything, I do a lot of shorter races so these might be taking the spring out of my step too! My current Pbs (from 2011) are:
5 mile: 35.10
10km: 43.30
10 Mile: 72. 20
Half-mara 1.40 (from Dec 2010)
Thanks for all comments so far, am inclined to think some of it is psychological too though, as i spend most of my paced run thinking 'oh God I'd never manage 26 miles at this pace' etcetc and i usually feel much better after a few miles. I'll try a few PMP runs at a slower pace and see what happens, if it's very much more comfortable then I have my answer.

RayCun

Apologies

It sounds like you should be well capable of running 8 minute miles in training. If you're feeling bad immediately (as opposed to feeling wrecked when you finish) maybe it is psychological.
Perhaps you're having trouble finding the sweet spot in between your harder intervals and the easier LSR and recovery runs?

ecoli

Corkie

It could be the fact your body isnt fresh. Remember before race day you will have a teper so the body will be fresh and they wont feel half as bad. Out of interest how long are your PMP runs? how does this mileage compare to that of your overall weekly mileage?

itsalltrue

Completed the DCM 2010 in 3:57 so i'm planning on pushing for 3:30. I think it might be a bit ambitious but its my goal for the year.

I'm feeling much fitter this year and ran a 10k in 42 mins 2 weeks ago and a forest/road race 5miles in 32.38 so my times are much quicker than this time last year.

In training for the Kildare half so i'm hoping to get close to 1:32/1:34.

Woddle

itsalltrue wrote: »

Completed the DCM 2010 in 3:57 so i'm planning on pushing for 3:30. I think it might be a bit ambitious but its my goal for the year.

I'm feeling much fitter this year and ran a 10k in 42 mins 2 weeks ago and a forest/road race 5miles in 32.38 so my times are much quicker than this time last year.

In training for the Kildare half so i'm hoping to get close to 1:32/1:34.

Based on those times 3'30 is definitely achievable if not better.

menoscemo

itsalltrue wrote: »

Completed the DCM 2010 in 3:57 so i'm planning on pushing for 3:30. I think it might be a bit ambitious but its my goal for the year.

I'm feeling much fitter this year and ran a 10k in 42 mins 2 weeks ago and a forest/road race 5miles in 32.38 so my times are much quicker than this time last year.

In training for the Kildare half so i'm hoping to get close to 1:32/1:34.

This year off a 32'55 5 mile and a 1'32 half I ran 3'24 in Barcelona. Sub 3'30 should not be a bother, maybe even target sub 3'20. The kildare half will give you an idea of where you're at, but you will also improve between now and DCM.

potsy11

Great to see this thread.

I am jsut getting back into the swing of things from several months off.

Have been doing max of 20-25 miles a week for the last 3-4 weeks.

I did Dublin the last 2 years and came in at 3.27 in both races. Made a slight improvement of 20 secs in one year.

i am aiming for 3.15-3.20. What training plans can people recommend?

cheers

rainbow kirby

potsy11 wrote: »

Great to see this thread.

I am jsut getting back into the swing of things from several months off.

Have been doing max of 20-25 miles a week for the last 3-4 weeks.

I did Dublin the last 2 years and came in at 3.27 in both races. Made a slight improvement of 20 secs in one year.

i am aiming for 3.15-3.20. What training plans can people recommend?

cheers

P&D plans (most likely 18 week 55 mile plan) would be well worth a look.

Perkina3

None atm... Base work for the next month or so. Will start on a programme near the end of May. Will be coming looking for advice on good ones then... Shall pop in from time to time between then though to say hello

opus

rainbow kirby wrote: »

P&D plans (most likely 18 week 55 mile plan) would be well worth a look.

+1, the 12 week version worked pretty well for me but I did have a reasonable base mileage prior to starting (~40m/week).

Oisin11178

I bet corkie if you get a bit of company for your 8 min mile pmp runs you will feel 10 times better. In your mind it sounds like you have built it up as a big deal and you are suffering. According to your times 8 min miles should be no bother to you. 8 min miles and 7 min miles ect... is just a mental barrier, they are just like any other time.

ger664

Good to see this thread. I am hoping to make BQT at longford or Galway with a sub 3:30 or if that fails try a 3:25 in DCM for 2013.

My previous best is 3:51 in athens last year.

Its a bit of a long shot given my recent shorter times are a bit on the slow side.

10K 46:25
Ten Mile 77:24

Plan following 18 week P&D up to 55 mile schedule and losing 3-4 Kilos in an effort to get me over the line.

Corkie100

Oisin11178 wrote: »

I bet corkie if you get a bit of company for your 8 min mile pmp runs you will feel 10 times better. In your mind it sounds like you have built it up as a big deal and you are suffering. According to your times 8 min miles should be no bother to you. 8 min miles and 7 min miles ect... is just a mental barrier, they are just like any other time.

I think you're spot on with this one, because although I said earlier I find speed work ok, I know that's only because I run in a group at the track and the buzz and chat keeps me going. I also do the long runs in a group when possible, although this is the one session I really don't mind doing on my own. I am currently trying to round up a few pals to do the pmp runs, think it will definitely help. My shorter race times continue to improve and as I have no probs getting the miles in for the long runs, I really don't think my target is over-ambitious.Thanks!!

pistol_75

Great to see this thread set up. Originally at the start of the year my goal was to go sub 4:15 after my debut of 4:59 last year. Have kept up training over the winter averaging over 20 miles a week so am in a much better place starting off this year.

Did a 10K on Sunday evening in 48:26 which was a good PB for me and doing a half marathon in Dundalk this evening and Kildare Sunday week. After these it will be about picking the right training plan for Dublin and a Sub 4 attempt which I think is my new goal.

Looks forward to sharing lots of information and picking up lots of tips from everyone.

Will probably join more of the weekend LSR runs this year (did 1 last year) as my training partner for long runs announced yesterday she is due a baby on 31st October.

RayCun

pistol_75 wrote: »

Will probably join more of the weekend LSR runs this year (did 1 last year) as my training partner for long runs announced yesterday she is due a baby on 31st October.

Probably not a good idea to have your goal race the day before - you might find your plans changing at very short notice!

pistol_75

RayCun wrote: »

Probably not a good idea to have your goal race the day before - you might find your plans changing at very short notice!

Haha. No she was only my training partner not my life partner. My wife is however due our first baby on 12th September so will have to factor this into training.

potsy11

pistol_75 wrote: »

Haha. No she was only my training partner not my life partner. My wife is however due our first baby on 12th September so will have to factor this into training.

Without turning this into the 'baby / pregnancy due dates' - my wife is also expecting and due on the 17 October! She is going to the Rotunda so at least if she is overdue she can wave at me from the window!!:D

Woddle

potsy11 wrote: »

She is going to the Rotunda so at least if she is overdue she can wave at me from the window!!:D

Priorities, I like it

BTH

Didn't see this thread until today. Can I ask a noob question. What's a PMP? I get the impression its a longish run at expected race pace? How often are these done per the training plans, and up to what distance?

RayCun

PMP is Planned Marathon Pace
Training plans vary. Some would include a PMP run once a week (eg. Higdon novice 2), and others would have PMP miles as part of a longer, slower run (eg. the P&D plans). I think the most either of those would have is 9/10 PMP miles, but I'm sure there are other plans that contain more.

ecoli

BetterThanHoyte wrote: »

Didn't see this thread until today. Can I ask a noob question. What's a PMP? I get the impression its a longish run at expected race pace? How often are these done per the training plans, and up to what distance?

PMP = Projected Marathon Pace

Done usually between every 2-3 weeks as part of long run depending on the plan and some shorter runs specifically dedicated to this pace.

The other school of thought is to go by expected marathon pace at current fitness. The idea behind this is you are not trying to over reach and as such running at the correct paces to get optimum benefit from the training

Personally I would be of the second school of thought but there are many who swear by PMP ao i suppose what ever works personally

BTH

Thanks guys. I'll have a look at those plans and see what way they work this run into the program. My own training plan is going to be heavily tailored due to other activities and I still have to work that out and see how it's all going to fit in!!

I'm not an improver as such, but aiming for sub 3:15 should I come out of the tri season in one piece so I'll be dipping in here and in the novice thread.

outforarun

Corkie100 wrote: »

Or is it that 8 min pace is just too ambitious at this stage? Should I shelve my hopes for sub 3.30 for a while?? When I ran 3.39 in Dublin last year, the whole thing went perfectly, ran a slightly negative split and felt my training had been bang on (original aim was 3.45).
Any thoughts welcome!

Hi Corkie

Just spotted this thread today. I could nearly have written your original post.

We are in a very similar place. I too am training for Cork. I too am hoping for 3:29:59. I too have real doubts about whether or not I can achieve this time. My level of optimism / pessimism is also driven by how I feel on my PMP runs.

My Saturday PMP runs are my most daunting run of the week. I cruise through my LSRs at around 8:45 pace with a sprinkling of 9:00 miles, not a bother. I ran tempos earlier in my schedule at peak pace 7:30, recently these hit sub 7:00 pace. I feel tired after tempos but not unduly so, it’s a tempo run after all.

But the PMP is where I ‘struggle’ (sometimes just mentally). I always hit my target it’s just some-days it feels like a lot of hard-work and I then I think there is no way I could keep this up for 26 miles.

One difference between us is that I made a decision before starting my schedule to run my PMP at 7:45 pace, that’s 15” faster than what I plan to run in Cork. Of late actually I’ve been running closer to 7:40 pace. This decision could blow up in my face, if it does I hope I can at least still PB in Cork.

While running my PMPs I’m optimistic because:

• I’m running 15” to 20” faster a mile than I’ll have to on race-day.
• It feels easier now than when I started the program.
• The marathon route will be flatter than this, and I always worry most about pace when I’m heading up a hill.
• The second half of my 10 mile PMPs I’ve run faster than the first half.
• I’ll be fresher on race day after a gorgeous three week taper. No tempos in the legs from earlier in the week.
• I’ll have race-adrenaline on race-day that should make everything feel at least 5” a mile easier.
• I’ll have people to talk to / listen to to make the miles pass easier. I’ve run all my PMPs on my own, obsessing over every step.
• I’m now running on road, last year I ran 99% of my training on grass and suffered on race day accordingly.

3:30 will be a challenge for sure. But I guess that in itself is something to look forward to, it keeps me focused and it certainly stops me from being complacent in the build-up.

Good Luck, 32 days and counting!!


My PBs are:
Marathon 3:51 Cork 2010 (first marathon)
Half Marathon 1:40 Dublin 2010
10 Mile 1:17 Frank Duffy 2010 (although I’ve done two consecutive 1:16s in training in the last few weeks, and I wasn’t racing these)
I also ran Cork to Cobh last year 15M at 7:48 pace and felt relatively comfortable.

brophya2007

Ok if i put my name into the hat?

Ran DCM last year in 4:26 and would love to go Sub 4.

I know i'm going to have to up the mileage, thinking of following HH Intermediate I training program.

Also if there is anyone in Limerick aiming for the same time that wants to meet up for weekend LSRs PM away.

Andrew

Tetney

Corkie
Similar story for me too. Running Cork again this year after 3.56 last year (my first marathon).

10k last year was 46.15m. This year down to 43.25m.

My long runs are between 8.45 and 9.00 pace. e.g 12 miles at 8.30 pace. 18 miles at 9.00 pace. I wouldnt be the best trainer in the world and am probably shy a few long runs

Still not sure in my head if i should push for 3.30 or target 3.45 and look at 3.30 for Dublin later in the year. I am siding with 3.45 with a hope that the pace makers will be a bit ahead of themselves (assuming there are 15min interval pacers??)

I am thinking the weather cant be as bad as last year which should speed me up a little and my IT band hasnt troubled me (yet) during training which it did last year

Any advise greatly appreciated!! Is Dublin a quicker route than the revised Cork route?

mush500

Hi guys thought I might get on this too. Ran my first marathon in Canberra in May while in Australia and hoping to continue with DCM. Ran 4.55 in that and as it was my first didn't mind but think I could have done better. I think with a summer of training sub 4hr could be achievable, only 25 and have really gotten into running this year.

I followed HH novice plan fro canberra and was going to follow his intermediate II plan for DCM, was just wondering what people's thoughts are on this plan? I looked over P&D 55/18 week plan and looked a little bit much for me at this stage.

RayCun

How much running are you doing at the moment, mush?

mush500

Only did the marathon on april 10th so have been resting since but started running gently last week. Hoping to start training to a plan in july and just keep up some short tuns 3-5 miles until then.

Corkie100

Tetney wrote: »

Corkie

Still not sure in my head if i should push for 3.30 or target 3.45 and look at 3.30 for Dublin later in the year. I am siding with 3.45 with a hope that the pace makers will be a bit ahead of themselves (assuming there are 15min interval pacers??)

I'm exactly the same! Problem with Cork is you just don't know what the weather will throw at you, so it's difficult to make a solid plan. In Dublin, I stayed with the 3.45 pacers for a while and then pushed on after about 5 or 6 miles and it was perfect- hadn't gone out too fast, felt under no pressure and knew they were somewhere behind should i start to drift off the pace, ended up coming in under 3.40. So maybe a similar strategy for both of us in Cork? Avoid the pressure of the 3.30 pacers but use the 3.45s to settle in? Even for a mile or 2? There are pacers for 3.45 as far as I know. I've had a couple of minor setbacks this past week (not injury but minor illness) so not feeling very optimistic at the moment! However, I know i have the miles done so it's just a matter of setting a loose realistic target!

Tetney

Might be a plan. Having followed the 4hr pacers last year i might find it hard to break away from the pacers too soon. I found them a great help last year as i ran back out of the city between 16m and 20m. Once i got to the last relay changeover i felt fine as i had ran that leg last year and knew what lay ahead of me. I might stay with the 3.45 pacers till i get through the tunnel and up to Mahon and see how i feel then.

Based on your times and the fact you are doing speed work you shouldnt have any problems with pace work at 8m pace. What distance are your PMP runs? Could be in the head. Focus on the PMP run as a means to an end and dont think that you have to run that pace for 26.2miles every time you do a PMP run. You should crack the 3.30 this year. I do most of my running on my own and sometimes feel i run too fast and have to tell myself to run slower then PMP.

Did you find Dublin easier then Cork last year or where you just better prepared?

Oisin11178

Tetney wrote: »

Might be a plan. Having followed the 4hr pacers last year i might find it hard to break away from the pacers too soon. I found them a great help last year as i ran back out of the city between 16m and 20m. Once i got to the last relay changeover i felt fine as i had ran that leg last year and knew what lay ahead of me. I might stay with the 3.45 pacers till i get through the tunnel and up to Mahon and see how i feel then.

Based on your times and the fact you are doing speed work you shouldnt have any problems with pace work at 8m pace. What distance are your PMP runs? Could be in the head. Focus on the PMP run as a means to an end and dont think that you have to run that pace for 26.2miles every time you do a PMP run. You should crack the 3.30 this year. I do most of my running on my own and sometimes feel i run too fast and have to tell myself to run slower then PMP.

Did you find Dublin easier then Cork last year or where you just better prepared?

Im meant to be pacing 3.45 this year in cork so will probably see you guys down there:D

Woddle

Just thought I'd mention it's 24 weeks to DM from Monday coming for those going with a longer program.

Tetney

and 24 days to the Cork Marathon. Nearly time to wind down the programme!! :rolleyes:

Oisin11178

Oisin11178 wrote: »

Im meant to be pacing 3.45 this year in cork so will probably see you guys down there:D

3.30 now, better class of person the faster you get haha:D

aficionado

Thanks guys. I'll have a look at those plans and see what way they work this run into the program. My own training plan is going to be heavily tailored due to other activities and I still have to work that out and see how it's all going to fit in!!

I'm not an improver as such, but aiming for sub 3:15 should I come out of the tri season in one piece so I'll be dipping in here and in the novice thread.

Similar situation myself to BetterThanHoyte
Did my first in Conn, aiming for 3.15 in DCM,
Doing my first tri in Dublin 31st August then Im thinking straight into a P&D type program,
That only leaves me with 8 weeks training though with no recovery after the tri,
Is this asking too much?

itsalltrue

itsalltrue wrote: »

Completed the DCM 2010 in 3:57 so i'm planning on pushing for 3:30. I think it might be a bit ambitious but its my goal for the year.

I'm feeling much fitter this year and ran a 10k in 42 mins 2 weeks ago and a forest/road race 5miles in 32.38 so my times are much quicker than this time last year.

In training for the Kildare half so i'm hoping to get close to 1:32/1:34.

Completed the Kildare half in 1:34.22 yesterday so its a new PB. Was really really bad the night before with headaches and stomach pain, even on the morning of the race my stomach was bad. So i'm delighted with that time but i hope to improve it for the Dublin half in September.

After that i know think that a 3:25/3:30 is on the cards

Marthastew

itsalltrue wrote: »

Completed the Kildare half in 1:34.22 yesterday so its a new PB. Was really really bad the night before with headaches and stomach pain, even on the morning of the race my stomach was bad. So i'm delighted with that time but i hope to improve it for the Dublin half in September.

After that i know think that a 3:25/3:30 is on the cards

Congratulations, fantastic PB... Stay strong over the summer and sub 3.30 is on the cards for you in Dublin.

Marthastew

That age old question... How do I run a faster marathon?
I'll join in here if that's ok.

Background

I'm a 45year old female heading into my 6th marathon, Berlin this year. I started running 3years ago when I was persuaded to do a sprint triathlon. Like most people I loved the bike and the run but am a very poor swimmer so after a few (thoroughly enjoyable) triathlons I decided to concentrate on running. I completed DCM 2008 my first marathon, just six months after I started running and was lucky enough to finish in3.56 and with minor ITB problems. Since then i've run Chicago 09; 3.45 which qualified me for Boston 2010 which I ran in 3.47. DCM 2010 is my PB at 3.41 ( it was a day for PBs I think, perfect day) and I've just completed Paris in 3.47, I was hoping to beat my DCM time there but the heat was very tough.


I'm hoping to get some advice from you all....

What's the best way for me to improve my time over the next few months?
I run on my own in the mornings when the kids are at school and have therefore not really been doing any interval training, I lack the motivation on my own. I love the LSRs and have no problem recovering from them. I'm a member of a gym and I usually do a few conditioning classes plus on or two cardio ones a week.

My main two questions are
1. Do I need to introduce interval training (I'm guessing definitely yes) and if so, any tips to simplify it?
2. I'm assuming (and I could be wrong as it's not in any of the plans I've loosely followed) that the classes are adding to my overall fitness and therefore speed, is this correct?

Any advice gratefully received...

menoscemo

Hey Martha, I'm no expert but what I am doing is following an intense 5k/10k training programme before embarking on a marathon Programme. This is what a lot of Boards members have done (e.g Krusty Clown) and have managed to constantly reduce their marathon times as a result. Why not train for a 10k for the next 6-8 weeks then start your marathon programme. A lot of us are targetting the 10k in Dunshaughlin at the end of june.


The idea is if you bring down your 5k-10k speed, then your cruising (marathon) pace should also drop as a result.

P.S. to keep endurance up, I am keeping my weekend LSR's much longer than the 10k programmes perscribe and pacing a few marathons. Hopefullt hat will mean a 12 week marathon programme will be sufficient.

ecoli

Marthastew wrote: »

My main two questions are
1. Do I need to introduce interval training (I'm guessing definitely yes) and if so, any tips to simplify it?

Any advice gratefully received...

Intervals dont have to be anything fancy. You can get the same benefits from simplifying it by doing something like the following

warm up (very easy jog) 6 x 1 min easy, 1 min hard, cooldown (very easy jog)

You can introduce this once a week and build adding either extra reps (one week 6 two weeks later move to 7/8) or adding how long you are doing (start off at 1 min building to 2min, 3min)

Another type is tempo

This is simply increasing the pace to half marathon pace for a duration (roughly 20 min) as you get fitter you can go for longer.

These are just some simple tricks. Training doesnt have to be overly complicated and many old school runners believe you are better off keeping things simple and just getting the miles in

RubyK

What training plan to follow - DCM '11
I think it's close enough now to start thinking about what training plan I should go with for DCM '11, so I'm looking for some advice on what one to follow. I'm hoping to go sub 3.45.

I loosely followed Hal Higdons Novice 2 plan, which got me a 3.59.19 finish in DCM '10. Currently, I'm running 30-35 mpw.

Any advice would be appreciated

menoscemo

RubyK wrote: »

What training plan to follow - DCM '11
I think it's close enough now to start thinking about what training plan I should go with for DCM '11, so I'm looking for some advice on what one to follow. I'm hoping to go sub 3.45.

I loosely followed Hal Higdons Novice 2 plan, which got me a 3.59.19 finish in DCM '10. Currently, I'm running 30-35 mpw.

Any advice would be appreciated

I'd Highly recommed P&D's 35-55 mpw week plan. Sounds like you'll fit straight into it like a glove. I highly recommend buying the book as well as it really describes very well the science of running and the reasoning behind all the runs.

RubyK

Thanks for that meno, I'll have a look on amazon for it.